And
if the world turn against you, look to those by your side. These are
your true friends.

~Ab-Hajir

The
city of Bel-Athis shimmered in the distance like a mirage beneath the
noonday sun. The small band of pilgrims stood fanned out upon the
rolling dunes, covered from head to toe in their loose black
garments. There was scarcely a wind, yet the sand rose up from the
desert in twirling wisps that danced around them seductively like
harim girls.

Jal
nar Bethad stood in the midst of the twelve men and women who had
followed him here, his arms raised to the sky in supplication.